By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The introduction of a vehicle titling system in The Bahamas is “long overdue”, a leading auto dealer said yesterday, noting that the auto industry has been lobbying for such a system for “quite some time”.

Bahamas Bus & Truck general manager told Tribune Business yesterday: “It’s very significant. It’s something that we have been advocating for a very long time. It’s something that should have even in place a very long time ago. It would benefit the banks, the insurance companies and the dealers.”

Road Traffic Controller Ross Smith told Tribune Business in a recent interview that the automation of key services at the Road Traffic Department is one of the major undertakings set to “radically change” the department over the next few years, with a ‘vehicle titling system’ to be a part of that new system.

Auto dealers, together with banks and insurance companies, have long called for the Bahamas to introduce a formal vehicle title system as a means to help curtail vehicle theft, plus better protect their security and that of consumers. It is believed that requiring all vehicle owners to possess the relevant title documents will prevent the sale of autos that are encumbered by existing liens/loans, thus protecting both the unsuspecting buyer and lender’s security. It would also act as a stumbling block to the sale/importation of stolen cars and vehicles that were imported as wrecks, as the seller would have to produce a title document showing an auto’s history and previous condition.

Mr Albury said: “If a vehicle is imported or example you can search its history in the US but you cannot see anything that’s happened since it’s been here. If a vehicle has been in terrible collision here in Nassau there is no titling system to register the accident. Also, if a person comes to trade a vehicle in to us we have no way of thoroughly checking it make sure that there are no liens against the vehicle so that could result in us accepting a vehicle with an outstanding lien which would create a problem for us and the banks. This system would bring us to a more first world status when it comes to vehicle registration. It’s something we have been pushing for a while and I hope we will finally be able to get this wrapped up.”